Experimentally simulating the beam shaping capabilities of piston-type deformable mirrors using a liquid crystal spatial light modulator

Abstract The number of mirror segments, geometry and orientation are essential parameters when assessing the beam-shaping capabilities deformable mirrors. Here, we use a Liquid Crystal on Silicon Spatial Light Modulator (LCoS-SLM) to mimic mechanical design quantitatively analyse effect segments their geometrical structure resulting structured modes. Our approach can be used as test bed prior designing for high power beam shaping.